How Torchlight Infinite Looks To Avoid The Pitfalls Of Diablo Immortal

Torchlight Infinite is trying to transform the addictive dungeon crawl and loot farming of the famous console and PCARPG franchise into iOS and Android devices. Torchlight Infinite developer XD Inc., which is currently in a closed beta, recently announced that a free-to-play mobile ARPG will be released in an open beta this fall. At the same time, XD also revealed Oracle Thea, the game’s sixth playable launch hero.

As Blizzard’s recently released Diablo Immortal shows, it can be difficult to convert PC-centric ARPGs to mobile before. It’s impossible to say if Torchlight Infinite is still successful in that regard, but it’s clear that XD’s view of the franchise is trying to attract both new players and established fans in the series. Set 200 years after Torchlight II, it includes abilities, classes, and environments familiar to franchise fans, but there are also many new characters and systems that fans can discover.

Torchlight Infinite was created with mobile in mind, but it will also be released on PC. In an email interview with GameSpot, producer Liu Heng said Torchlight Infinite would enable cross-progression. Players can link data with one account and jump between mobile and PC without losing progress. In addition to the mobile version, the PC version also includes several additional upgrades, including more camera options, wider views, and additional control options.

The main question for free play experiences, especially loot-based experiences, is how the game is monetized. Prior to that, Heng explained that purchases at Torchlight Infinite fall into two categories. Features such as more bag space, reset talent, and automatic looting are what Heng describes as a “convenient payment.” New heroes and a variety of cosmetics are also available for purchase, which is what Heng called “paid content.”

Torchlight Infinite does not sell gear or crafting materials for real money, Hen said. These items will be “strictly obtained” to ensure a fair experience for all players. Heng revealed that Torchlight Infinite has no stamina meters or systems to limit the player’s progress, saying that players have “freedom to start and stop grinds.”

It’s a difficult line to walk. Diablo Immortal, which is likely to be compared to Torchlight Infinite, was strongly criticized at launch for its pay-to-win mechanics, despite being said to have earned more than $ 50 million in the first month. Nowadays, players are complaining about how Diablo Immortal’s MMO structure punishes solo players, and many players are unable to find the additional players needed to complete the dungeons and raids that are essential to their progress.

When XD Inc. was asked the lessons learned from the launch of Diablo Immortal, Heng didn’t mention the game’s controversial microtransactions, but instead many of Diablo Immortal’s problems manage player expectations properly. He said it was due to something he couldn’t do.

“From our point of view, the general public was most dissatisfied with their expectations of how Diablo Immortal would be presented as an ARPG game, but instead it was released as an ARP GMMO.” Said Heng.

As a result, Diablo Immortal’s progress system and build options are much narrower than Diablo III, which can mislead players looking for a traditional Diablo experience, Heng said.

“If the game didn’t use Diablo IP, its performance could have been very different in our opinion,” Heng said.

According to Hen, the team has been a strictly loot-based ARPG since its inception, with hero traits, talents, skills, and gear affixes.

Mobile games are expected to have regular content updates, and Heng said Torchlight Infinite will introduce new seasonal extensions every three months. Seasons introduced a new gameplay mechanic, and Heng teased that XD had a “new hero line” waiting to be added to the game’s character roster.

Unlike previous torchlight games, players play as a specific character rather than a regular class. For example, Torchlight Infinite contains the Berserker character, but it is not exactly the same as the Torchlight II Berserker. This is because this Berserker is a unique character, Lehan, with its own backstory and unique characteristics compared to the Torchlight II version of the class.

Most of Torchlight Infinite is the skill system of the game. The system has over 230 shared skills for each of the six heroes in the game, which can be modified with different support skills. This is a huge number of customization options, especially when combined with Torchlight Infinite’s talent system and the actual bonuses of the equipped gear. Players will be able to exchange and sell gear to each other using what Hen describes as “tax exemption” and “player-created economy.”

Torchlight Infinite went into open beta in October this year and no specific date has yet been announced. Beta pre-registration on iOS devices Available now..